As a result, power companies have shut down Texas coal plants unable to compete with lower-cost generators. Meanwhile, the low electricity prices of recent years — a function of cheap natural gas — and small profits have discouraged companies from investing in new power plants. ERCOT, which oversees about 90 percent of the state’s power grid, said power reserves that are called on when demand peaks on the hottest summer days have shrunk to the lowest levels since Texas deregulated power markets in 2002.
†Offer is available to Texas residential customers who enroll using the Promotion Code “NIGHTSFREE”. Plan bills a monthly Base Charge, an Energy Charge, and passes through Utility Transmission and Distribution delivery charges. Energy Charges for usage consumed between 9pm and 7am each day is credited back on your bill. The utility charges, including delivery charges for night time hours, are passed through at cost and aggregated on your bill. See Electricity Facts Label for details.

Texas deregulated most of the state's electricity markets in 2002, a move aimed at lowering electricity costs by letting consumers choose their own electric power providers and their own plans. Some parts of Texas continued to be regulated, including those whose power is proved by municipally-owned utilities, electric cooperatives and investor-owned utilities that operate outside the state's primary power grid.

If you’re looking for cheap electricity in Houston, TX, you’ve come to the right place. We compiled the best electricity plans in Houston from the top providers, ensuring that each electricity company we select meets our high standards for business stability, eco-friendliness, and transparent pricing. You can rest easy knowing you’re choosing the best from the best.
Since 2002, Amigo Energy has been one of the best electric companies in Texas. Not only that, but more recently we’ve received far fewer Public Utilities Commission of Texas (PUC) complaints than most other large residential electricity providers across the state.2 In fact, our customer service gets even better over the phone because our call-in customers have yet to file a PUC complaint this year.3 This ain’t our first rodeo—with over 15 years of experience and a track record of reliable service, you can trust Amigo Energy as your retail electricity provider.
Canadian electricity is cheap at 10 US cents per kilowatt hour, which is reflected in their high average electricity usage. US electricity prices at 0.12 $/kWh are also quite cheap internationally. In India and China they are very cheap. The UK is in the middle at 20 cents. It’s relatively expensive globally but not too bad for Europe, where most countries pay a high share of tax on their power.
Ultimately, analysts said, this means that the vast majority of customers are not reaping the benefits of electricity deregulation, which promised that more competition would mean healthy savings. One analyst estimates that consumers are leaving about $2 billion a year on the table, which is likely flowing to the bottom lines of retail electricity companies.
The threat of price spikes have been long in the making, the result of changing economics of power production. The shale drilling boom produced record amounts of natural gas, which pushed prices to all-time lows and made gas-fired plants cheaper to operate than coal. Renewable energy such as wind is also producing abundant amounts of electricity at a lower cost than coal.
In finding you the best Texas electric rates, we only list electric companies that have great business stability, excellent service, environmental awareness, and transparent pricing. This protects you from providers that could soon go out of business, are unattentive to customers, are environmentally unsound, or may end up charging you a higher rate than advertised.
TXU is high because they charge their customers for the "fuel" to run their power plants - that's what the supervisor told us when we called to complain about my godmother's bill. Her actual usuage was $350 and they charged her an additional $350. And she didn't understand the bill so she had been paying it for months until we started looking at it. They are a rip off. Would never recommend them.
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We have taken the legwork out of shopping for plans by providing the most straight-forward electricity shopping experience anywhere. We show you the best deals from the most respected, reputable providers in Houston. Our providers offer great electricity rates and provide a consistently high level of customer satisfaction. Our customers regularly report huge savings on their electric bills.

Take a few minutes to sit down and do some digging. Not only do you want to find out exactly which Houston power companies operate in your neighborhood and what it is they have to offer, but you want to find out which are the cheap power companies in Houston. You’ve just bought a home! You need to save as much as possible everywhere you can until you can get at least some of the move-in expenses paid down. Now, while it’s true that most Retail Electric Providers require a deposit if your credit is poor or you haven’t had a utility in your name, not all of them do. Even with those that do, some will accept a letter of guarantee, where someone else guarantees in writing that they’ll pay the bill if you don’t, in place of a cash deposit. This can be even more useful once you consider that the typical deposit is 1/5th to 1/6th of an annual bill – if it’s a brand-new home, it might be that the only record of use is that of the construction company and that would be a seriously large deposit, indeed!
As a residential or commercial customer, you’ll enjoy competitive rates, flexible contracts, and personalized plans that give you the power to choose what’s best for you. And we offer no-deposit electricity for well-qualified customers and deposit payment plans for those with less than desirable credit so that switching retail electric providers won’t break the bank.‡ When you switch to Amigo Energy today, you’ll switch on the power of convenience and affordability.

Payless Power provides the best prepaid and standard energy plans with no cancelation fees and no deposit in the area. Since 2005, Payless Power has been helping people get better energy rates and save money on their average power bill, regardless of income or credit history. As a family-owned energy provider and not one of the giant electricity suppliers, we take great pride in serving our customers with care and respect.